The Frenchman was brought on as a sub in Barcelona’s win over Huesca.
Barcelona’s narrow 1-0 win over Huesca left a lot to be desired with the lack of a true striker once again being one of the takeaways.
The return of Lionel Messi was the biggest change heading into the game. But so was the absence of Antoine Griezmann.
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The former Atletico Madrid player was sat on the bench as Ronald Koeman went with Ousmane Dembélé on the left of the attack and Martin Braithwaite as the striker.
Following the match, Koeman was asked about opting for Braithwaite instead of Griezmann.
"“I trust each player in our squad. If we go for three midfielders, we have space for three forwards. With Messi open on one side, we went for those who can give us a lot of depth in Ousmane Dembélé, and Martin Braithwaite because in these types of games we need a player of his style. That doesn’t say anything about Antoine. We need all the players, there are many games ahead.”Source: Sport"
While Koeman tried to play down not starting Griezmann, it’s another example of the Frenchman’s inability to adapt to Barcelona despite already having one season under his belt.
One of the things Koeman emphasized when he took over was to play Griezmann in his natural position instead of out on the wing. He’s done so yet the performances on the pitch have not improved. If they have, it lasts about a game or two and then they are back to square one.
Preferring Braithwaite over Griezmann is not something anyone imagined considering the latter’s track record and given how much it took to sign him from Atletico Madrid. But that is where things stand at the moment.
The club are still in desperate need of a true striker and the future of Griezmann has now become murky. It is unlikely Barcelona sell him during the winter transfer window because no team is going to pay what they may demand for him and because there is still no president.
The story might be completely different come the summer. Griezmann will have six months to try to turn things around. Along with a new president, a new manager is also likely to take over and both of them may conclude that he is surplus to requirements.